Improvement in machines for making curved lead pipes



ZSheets-Sheet l.

G. W. WICKS.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CURVED LEAD PIPES.

No.175,Z55. Patented March 28,1876.

NVPETERS, PHOTD-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. W. WICKS.

AKING CUR'V'ED LEAD PIPES.

MACHINEv FOR I No.175 ,Z65, Patented March 28, 1876.

Minesses:

N-FEVERSv FNOTO-LITNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D O.

PATENT GFFICE.

GEoRGE W. WIGKS, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING CURVED LEAD PIPES.

' Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,265, dated March 28, 1876; application filed March 3, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that -I, GEORGE W. WICKS, of Brooklyn, Kings county, New York, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for Forming Curved Lead Pipe, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to apparatus forimparting curvatures to lead pipe in the process of manufacture, by varying the quantity of lead ejected from the opposite sides of the annular passage, through which the lead is forced in the act of forming it into'a pipe.

My invention consists in providing two or more lateral outlets from the annular passage through which the lead is forced; and in providin g these outlets with valves, by means of which they may be wholly or partially closed at the pleasure of the operator.

By opening either of these lateral outlets the supply of lead for ejection through the adjoining part of theannularpassage is diminished. This diminution of the quantity of lead, resulting from the escape of a portion of the material through the lateral outlet from the annular passage, reduces the speed with which the pipe is formed upon the side where the lateral outlet is opened. The adhesion of the lead slowly ejected through one side of the annular passage to the lead more rapidly ejected through the other side pulls the rapidly-ejected lead sidewis'e, and thus imparts a curvature to the lead pipe as it is formed. The direction of this curvature may be immediately rever'sed by reversing the outlet-valves, closing the one first opened, and opening the other. The lead is then ejected more rapidly from that part of the annular passage through which it was first ejected slowly, while upon the opposite side the quantity of lead ejected is diminished by the escape of a portion of the ,material through the open lateral outlet upon that side.

In my invention the entire body of lead is pushed forward by a single piston, and the desired curvatures are imparted to the pipe as it is formed by opening one of the lateral outlets upon either side, and thus diminishing the quantity of lead ejected through the annular passage at that point.

In manufacturing curved pipe of small diameter two outlets, upon opposite sides of the annular passage, will be sufficient.. Informing curved pipe, the least quantity of material is required to form the innermost part of the curve, and the largest quantity to form the outermost part of the curve, and proportionately variable quantities to form those parts of the pipe between the innermost portion of the curve and the outermost.

.For the formation of curved pipe of uniform thickness, a theoreticallyperfect relief-outlet would be one extending completely around the wall of the annular passage, starting at nothing on one side, and regularly increasing in width each way from that point to an eq'uidistant point on the opposite side of the passage, which would .etl'ect a regular decrement of the quantity of lead ejected through the annular passage each way from a point on one side to an equidistant point on the other side of the passage. As, however, itis desirable that the pipe shall be thickest on the outer part of the curve, it is preferable not to 6X- tend the outlet all the way around, and, in practice, the'length of the outlet will be varied according to the diameter of the pipe which is being made.

The accompanying drawings, illustrating apparatus embodying my invention, are as follows, viz:

Figure l is a top view. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the line :0 w on Fig. 1. Fig. 3

is a transverse section through the bent line y g on Fig. 1. Fig. 4- is a vertical section of the annular passage, showing a modified form of lateral outlet. Fig. 5 is an end view, showing the annular passage. Figs. 6 and 7 are, respectively, longitudinal and transverse sections of a lead-trap formed in my apparatus.

Myapparatus consists ot'asubstantial frame, composed of a bed-plate, A, and two uprights, a and at. These uprights are secured together by four strong stay-rods, a 0. the ends of which are screw-threaded, and are provided with the nuts a and a which, respectively, engage the inner and outer sides of the uprights. The rear upright, a, supports the cylinder B of a hydrostatic press. This cylinder is provided with a tight-fitting plunger, b. A pipe, b, is inserted into the base of the cylinder B, and is to be connected with a pump, for injecting water into the cylinder B, for the purpose of forcing out the plunger 11. The stem (J of the plunger b constitutes the pistonrod of the lead cylinder or magazine D. The outer end of the piston-rod G is secured to the piston c, which closely fits the interior d of the lead-chamber.

The piston c is a disk, which is perforated in the center, to admit the core-rod E, which extends through the disk to a point beyond the inner end of the lead-chamber D, and is held in position by a transverse key, 0, which extends across the inner end of the lead-cylinder, and is secured thereto. The piston c is bored out in the center, to admit the inner end of the core-rod, and is slotted transversely from the outer face of the piston c to the end of the plunger 1). The purpose of this slot 0 is to allow room for the transverse key 6 during the reciprocating movement of the plunger and piston.

The object of this construction is to facilitate the use of core-rods of variable diameter in making different-sized pipes.

When it is desired to change the core-rod, the piston c is removed from the end of the piston-rod, the transverse key 0 is taken out, and another core-rod with another piston is substituted in place of it.

The holes in the piston conform to the size of the various core-rods used.

By changing the core-rod, and removing the cap G and substituting therefor a cap with a central aperture corresponding to the size of the core-rod, pipes of variable diameter are made.

The wall g of the annular passage is pierced by the lateral outlets h and 'i, which are, respectively, provided with the plug-valves h and i.

To facilitate the filling of the cylinder with lead, a vertical channel, k, is formed upon the inner side of the upright a, which communicates with the inner end of the lead-magazine. This channel is provided with a curved shield, 70', which is removable. When the piston moves forward the sprue of metal in the channel 70 is cut 0E, and, by detaching the shield k, is easily dislodged, and the way is thus kept clear for the pouring of a new supply of lead into the cylinder.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The piston being withdrawn, the space in the magazine between the piston and the cap is tilled with melted lead through the channel h. After the cooling of the lead water is pumped into the hydrostatic cylinder, which forces the plunger and piston forward. The effect of this movement is to push the entire mass of lead in the magazine bodily forward, and to crowd it through the openings in the cap. When both the lateral outlet-valves are closed, the lead is ejected through the annular passage, and forms a straight pipe. By opening one of the lateral outlets upon either side, the quantity of lead ejected through the annular passage upon that side is diminished, and the result is the formation of a curved pipe-that is, as has been described, the pipe, being formed more rapidly on one side than the other, curves toward the side where the lateral outlet is open. When the desired amount of curvature upon that side has been produced the outletvalve is closed, and the one upon the opposite side opened, by which means the operation is reversed, and the pipe is curved in the opposite direction. By opening and closing the outlet-valves alternately the entire mass of lead contained in the magazine can be formed into a pipe having a series of curves, to the right and left alternately, or into a straight pipe, as may be desired.

In using the apparatus to make lead-traps a certain length of straight pipe is formed between those parts of the pipe which receive the right and left curves. The pipe may be cut off in the desired lengths as it is formed.

I have heretofore devised an apparatus for forming curved lead pipe, the peculiarity of which consisted in the use of two pistons acting alternately, first upon one side and then upon the other of the lead contained in the magazine, and this apparatus and its mode of operation form the subject of my applications for patents now pending in the Patent Office. I found that, although this apparatus would eject lead with variable velocities from opposite sides of the annular passage, it required a great deal of power, and was objectionable because of the remoteness of the place where the variable power was applied, from the place where it was desired to produce the variable effects-that is, the plungers necessarily acted upon the base of the lead contained in the magazine, and their forces had to be transmitted with variable velocities through the mass of lead contained in the magazine to the annular passage where the lead was ejected. This made the operation a very indirect one, and very difiicult to control.

It will be seen that in my present invention I have overcome the difliculty attending the transmission of variable pressure through the mass of lead, by arranging a relief-outlet at the place of ejection. I am thus enabled to establish variability in the quantities of lead ejected through the various parts of the annular passage by tapping the stream of lead laterally at the desired points, and I can therefore maintain the forward movement of the entire mass of lead in the magazine. By this means I not only lessen the power required, but I am enabled to much more accurately control the ejection of the lead.

By the use of the lateral outlets I cannot only form curves in the pipe as it is ejected, but can cause the pipe to be formed with a shell of variable thickness, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which represent, respectively, longitudinal and transverse sections of a lead trap formed in my machine. It will be seen by reference to Figs. 6 and 7 that the shell of the trap is thickest upon the outer edge I of the curves, and that it diminishes gradually either way from that point, as shown at m and m in Fig. 7.

The direction and size'of the curve imparted to -the pipe may be perfectly controlled by varying the size and shape of the lateral outlets-that is, if it were desired to form a spiral pipe or worm, an outlet would be arranged in the wall of the annular passage of the shape shown in Fig. 7.

In adapting the apparatus to forming ordinary lead-traps, where it is desired the right and left curves of the pipe shall be in the same plane, the mouths of the outlets in the wall of the annular passage are preferably lozenge-shaped, as shown at h, in Fig. 2. The lozenge-shaped mouth subtracts the largest quantity of lead at its center, and diminishin g quantities from its center each way to its end, and thus effects the desired symmetrical graduation of .the quantity of metal ejected through the annular passage upon opposite sides during the formation of a curved pipe.

I claim as my invention in apparatus for forming curved lead pipe- 1. A magazineor chamber for containing lead, fitted with a movable bottom or plunger, provided at the top'with an annular opening or passsage for the ejectment by the plunger of such lead in the form of apipe, in combination with two or more lateral outlets from the said annular passage, each outlet being provided with a valve for the purpose of controlling the ejection of lead through such lateral outlets, and thus effecting variability in the quantity of lead ejected through different parts of the annular passage, substantially as described.

2. The lateral outlets having the lozengeshaped mouths h, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEO. W. WIOKS.

Witnesses:

EDWD. PAYSON, GEo. W. MIATT. 

